Dead Space 3 review, the game didn't feature enough of the horror and suspense the original two Dead Space games featured. It looks like Visceral and EA listened; thankfully the game's recently released story DLC, Awakened adds in everything that was missing from the main story. However, THIS DLC SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MAIN GAME. Read on to find out why...">

As we said back in our Dead Space 3 review, the game didn’t feature enough of the horror and suspense the original two Dead Space games featured. It looks like Visceral and EA listened; thankfully the game’s recently released story DLC, Awakened adds in everything that was missing from the main story. However, THIS DLC SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MAIN GAME. Read on to find out why…

WARNING: This review will contain both spoilers of the main Dead Space 3 story and the Awakened DLC story. This DLC requires the core Dead Space 3 game to play.

The story of Awakened picks up right where the game left off; Isaac and Carver awake on Tau Volantis, unsure if they are dead or alive and questioning what happened after they ‘completed’ their quest to obliterate the Necromorph threat. They soon discovered the Necromorphs live and are as dangerous as ever. Will they reach Earth? Will Isaac and Carver be able to finish them off once and for all? These are the questions Isaac and Carver as asking as they begin to re-explore the slightly different looking planet.

Isaac suffers MAJOR hallucinations, flashbacks and fake fights and begins to descend into complete craziness. The story is very dark, there is a lot of horror and many more difficult battles than was present in the main game. We won’t spoil what happens at the end of Awakened for you, however, we do want to say that this add-on is fantastic and the core game would have been 10/10 if it came to the standard of the DLC pack.

While only 2 hours long, most players will enjoy the DLC enough to do at least two playthroughs, perhaps three or four for Dead Space veterans. The DLC will leave most people thirsty for more, the three short chapters will be over in a single, quick playthrough before you even know it. The very enjoyable gameplay is the main high point of the DLC, improving on many aspects of the main campaign with better fights and more scares.

All weapons and resources carry over to the DLC, so, anything you scavenged or build in the main story will be usable from the start of the DLC. There are no new parts available in the DLC, they are all identical to those available in the core game and the ‘New Game+’ version of the core game.

Overall, Awakened is a great add on, but is quite expensive. Truly, these three chapters should have been included in the main game as the main game’s ending is now incorrect and didn’t work, essentially being a ‘pre-ending’. The price is the only thing holding back this DLC, as it should have been included in the game, released free, or, at a minimal price (about £2/3 for example).